Episode 71
“Get up. Right now.”
Muriel whispered quietly, pulling Ondal as if protecting him.
Originally, Fen’s footsteps were light and cheerful, true to his nature as a frost spirit, but Fenrir’s steps approaching Muriel now were undeniably that of a beast. Arrogant and leisurely. He seemed to enjoy Muriel’s vigilance and tension.
Fen, who was walking straight towards Ondal, transformed into Kaiton in just a few steps. There was no moment of hesitation or fluctuation; it was as natural as flowing water. Astonished voices erupted from Debbie and the kind-hearted black wizard who had truly believed him to be a beast.
“This is Sharan?”
Kaiton asked Muriel with a dangerous smile.
Ondal stood up as soon as Muriel spoke, but he didn’t react even when Kaiton approached. It was an attitude that didn’t care whether Kaiton discovered his true identity or not. Like an anxious bird, he buried his head in Muriel’s neck and shed tears incessantly.
Seeing that he suddenly ran to Muriel and clung to her, she couldn’t help but worry if something frightening had happened when he was with August, but it wasn’t a situation where she could pay that any attention. Kaiton had a terrifying expression on his face, like a hyena with a juicy rabbit right in front of him.
Could she protect Ondal?
If Kaiton was determined, even if Muriel threw herself in the way, the chances of stopping him were slim.
“Oh, was Crawford here too?”
At that moment, August entered the stiff house with his elegant yet shady face. It seemed like he was the one who brought Ondal here. A new possibility opened up. If August were to escape with Ondal while Muriel held Kaiton back somehow, would they be able to save Ondal?
However, even if Ondal were to survive, if August were to discover Kaiton’s true identity… If he decided that he had to kill the Demon King Ur in order to protect Sharan… Even if Ondal lived, wouldn’t Kaiton die?
In that case, who did she want to save…?
“Kaiton….”
Perhaps due to her nervousness, her voice came out cracked. She tried to swallow her saliva by moving her stiff Adam’s apple, but her dry throat didn’t easily cooperate.
“Tell me, Muriel. Was that guy shivering in your arms looking at me?”
“August is here….”
“So?”
“If you try to kill Ondal, your identity will be caught.”
Kaiton smiled lightly as that had nothing to do with him and whispered in a low voice.
“That doesn’t matter if I kill Eklum too, does it?”
Was that how it was going to turn out?
Then who should she choose… Whose hand should she hold…
“Kaiton….”
Muriel called out to him in an ambiguous voice, neither blaming him nor appealing. Right now, Muriel’s heart was exactly like that. Undecided and gray.
“Yes, Muriel. What will you do? You’ve been caught by me.”
Kaiton grabbed Muriel’s hand resting on Ondal’s back and slowly pulled her towards him. It seemed like he was trying to separate her from Ondal. Like she would get hurt too if she sticked close to him.
Not yet.
She hasn’t made up her mind yet….
Even while being pulled by Kaiton’s hand, Muriel couldn’t completely let go of Ondal, nor could she push Kaiton away. She only bit her own lips in frustration.
It was Ondal who stopped Kaiton. As Muriel’s hand fell from him, he finally reacted and moved. Ondal was surprisingly aggressive,to the point she couldn’t believe that he was the same person who’d been trembling in her arms all this time. He swiftly held Muriel, as if trapping her in his arms, and glared at Kaiton.
“Don’t touch… her.”
“…What if I do?”
“I’lll protect her.”
“How? Other than expressing what you say through Sharan’s eyes, there’s nothing you can do.”
Kaiton scoffed as he emphasized the name Sharan.
“Kaiton, no.”
Not knowing when Kaiton would thrust his sword at Ondal, Muriel spoke anxiously. Kaiton’s hostility towards Sharan, which seemed to border on madness, was a dangerous sight to behold. Muriel wanted to quickly separate Ondal from Kaiton, but Ondal wouldn’t let go of her. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t overcome Ondal’s strength.
“Why can’t I be free? If Sharan’s eyes don’t exist, only then can I…”
No… If this continued…
“Ondal! Hurry up and let go of me!”
Muriel kicked her dangling feet in the air and struggled, but the strength of the arms around her only grew stronger.
“Don’t go, Muriel.”
“This is not the time, Ondal. Please, let go of this.”
She could feel Ondal pressing his forehead against her neck. Judging by the wetness, it seemed like he was crying once again.
“…You promised you wouldn’t die… Don’t go… Please…”
“What are you talking about…!”
It’s you who’s on the verge of dying!!
Muriel bit her lip and glanced at Kaiton. He had the same cruel and wicked expression as before, with the corners of his mouth lifted.
“Ah, your Sharan must have been watching when you were attacked and nearly killed by the tripedal beast. He must have been peeking like a rat when I saved you.”
Ah… is that why he came running here so surprised…
“I’m fine… Look, I’m not hurt at all…”
Muriel tried to soothe Ondal while keeping an eye on Kaiton, but Ondal’s anxiety didn’t easily dissipate. It was evident that he was trembling faintly, and the hand holding Muriel was sticky with sweat.
“That’s how it went this time. Because I saved you. But what about next time?”
Kaiton smirked wickedly at Ondal. He mocked Ondal more cruelly than ever before, with a malicious expression on his face. Even if his anger towards someone bearing the name Sharan was justified, he was barking at the wrong tree.
“Your precious Muriel will jump into danger like a moth to a flame again, and will you still be standing by and watching?”
“….”
“Kek. Well, that’s certainly befitting the essence of Sharan, packaged with the grand name of the kingdom’s guardian. You can’t do anything by yourself. You’re revered because you rely on the Ur’s infamousness, and wield the power of the guardians as your sword. But in reality, you’re nothing but a useless troublemaker who can’t even protect one person.”
“Kaiton!”
Ondal’s hand, which seemed like it would never let go, was released. Muriel glared fiercely at Kaiton in place of the trembling Ondal who bowed his head like a sinner.
“That mouth…Shut up!”
“You don’t need to be scared.”
I’m not scared, I’m furious…!
Kaiton treated Muriel’s warning as lightly as a scared puppy’s whimper.
“Because I’ll spare his worthless life. It’s better to have him alive than to deal with a proper new Sharan that might appear after killing him.”
“Shut your mouth!!”
Muriel swung her fist towards Kaiton’s lips, which kept poking at Ondal like a knife. But her wrist was quickly caught. She tried to kick him in the groin, but she couldn’t move a muscle, as if she was under a spell. The only thing she could move was her eyes, so Muriel glared at Kaiton with all her might. She replaced the hundreds of words of hatred and contempt she wanted to pour out at him with her gaze.
Kaiton smiled wickedly at such a Muriel. It was a smile that reminded her of the Murishi who tore apart the rotten monsters to it’s heart content and then tapped his stomach.
“A Sharan abandoned by the Guardians and the Kingdom… It’s like your misfortune exists for me.”
“…Grr… Ugh…!”
Muriel exerted all her strength, to the point where blood vessels bulged in her neck, but all that came out of her mouth was an incomprehensible groan. In her heart, she was screaming like thunder, but there was no way to resist the magic Kaiton had cast.
Kaiton flicked Muriel’s nose with a cheeky smile.
“Muriel, you always manage to set me free.”
“Ugh!!”
Kaiton wrapped Muriel’s hair around his fingers, as if playing with her hair. Even though his eyes were covered by the blindfold and his head was lowered, he seemed to be aware that Ondal was looking at him through Sharan’s eyes.
“It must’ve been because of Muriel that you’ve been silent all this time while peeking at me. Because your… Muriel wanted to help me. You wanted to give me a chance, so everything would change, and to hold hands with you. Hahaha, you wanted us to get along well, didn’t you?”
“….”
“It’s ridiculous, but she still continues to do nonsense.”
“….”
“Continue to live hiding like that. No one in the kingdom knows you, no guardian can help you. Keep your mouth shut, bury what you’ve seen, and live without even making a sound of breaths.”
Kaiton thought it was a very ironic coincidence that he was saying these words to Sharan in the plateau. It was because of Sharan that he had to live in the plateau so breathlessly and cautiously, and now he was returning the same words to a Sharan. The entangled chains of fate were funny.
It was hard to believe the man in front of him was Sharan.
Funny how a man named Sharan resembled his younger self.
He must be feeling a terrible sense of defeat because of being unable to do anything for Muriel, and yet he was willing to abandon his pride for Muriel. Above all, his gaze towards Muriel was most similar.
Kaiton couldn’t tell if his displeasure stemmed from facing a man born with the name Sharan or a man who looked at Muriel with the same eyes as himself.
The person who had found him whom nobody knew, buried and hidden from everyone else. To him, Muriel would be a savior; the light of his world, his reason for living, and his hope.
It was very unpleasant, very annoying.
The pale, thin arms of the man who stubbornly held onto Muriel’s waist, as if he wanted to make sure she was alive, were irresistibly annoying.
“Of course, your Muriel must be saved from danger every time. All you can do for her is remain silent, but that’s not the case for me.”
“…”
So, despite knowing it was childish, Kaiton wanted to trample on Sharan’s heart very well.
“I can protect Muriel.”
Of course, he could also make her cry, make her surprised eyes fixate solely on him. He could make her blush and become shy, just like yesterday… he could make her gasp in breathlessness and hot with desire.
“Me too. I will… protect Muriel.”
Ondal lifted his head towards him as if he could see Kaiton and spoke. Thanks to that, Kaiton’s mood, which had momentarily improved while thinking about Muriel, plummeted again.
“I’m not as strong as Kaiton… but If I can, I’d give my life. Because… I like Muriel.”
“…”
Ondal’s head turned towards empty space. Kaiton knew that he was looking at Muriel with Sharan’s eyes. How dare he use his own power to see Muriel. He was so repugnant and insidious that Kaiton couldn’t stand it. He quickly unraveled the magic that had bound Muriel.
“Both of you, wake the hell up from your dreams. I will protect myself!”
Muriel, who had been frozen and unable to move, pounded her stiff shoulders and spoke. It was a fierce tone, but in reality, she was greatly relieved. Neither Ondal nor Kaiton were hurt or killed, But if such a thing did happen… If the two of them were to recreate the terrible relationship and fate between Sharan and Ur that had been going on for a long time…
Who would she choose? Which side did she want to stay by? Once she became conscious, it became difficult to turn away from her true feelings. She wanted to crawl into her heart and check the face of the person who was gradually taking up more space. However, the price for that was the death of the other side. Muriel tightly closed her in horror at the terrible thought. She didn’t want to break the current delicate relationship that was still hanging by a thread.
